Decades ago, families often spent more quality time together. Nowadays I feel like there are significantly more distractions. At our fingertips, we have 300+ channels on television, iPhones, personal computers, and video games. It seems like family time often takes a back seat to the distractions. One way to bring back that quality time is to start a dedicated family game night each week.
Family game night is important in so many levels. First and foremost, it’s quality time with your family. It can also be a learning opportunity. During games your children learn about good sportsmanship, following directions, good communication skills, coordination skills, and perceptual skills. Which brings me to my next point: we can incorporate Vision Therapy into our family game night! Here are some board games you can incorporate:
1. Rory’s Story Cubes– This game can develop visual thinking including visualization, visual memory, form perception, pattern recognition, and sequencing.
2. Make ‘N’ Break– This game can develop spatial and logical skills.
3. Rush Hour/ Rush Hour Jr.– The game can develop memory skills, spatial skills, and problem solving.
4. Scrabble– (One of my all time favorites) This game develops memory and visualization skills. Most definitely builds your vocabulary!
5. Boggle– Another great word game. Improves speed and recognition, and visual memory.
6. Matching Card Games- There are so many great matching card games. This will help develop visual memory skills.
7. Puzzles- Helps children understand that a whole is made of parts, developes hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, builds visual-perception skills. Also develops attention, concentration and thinking skills such as recognizing, remembering, matching, sorting and problem solving. We love puzzles!
8. Connect Four– Helps develop eye-hand coordination skills, visual-perceptual skills, and fine motor skills.
9. Labyrinth– Helps develop motor skills, concentration, perception, reasoning, and most of all, patience!
10. Jenga – This game helps develop depth perception and eye-hand coordination.
There are TEN great board games to play on family game night. As you can see there are many benefits to setting aside a night each week as family game night.
If you forget what visual-perception skills are here is the complete series:
